


Weep Little Lion Man

by Olsies



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Eddie Kaspbrak Has a Bad Time, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Learning To Communicate, M/M, eddie has a bad night and lashes out, eddie yells at richie but not in a fun way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26020774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olsies/pseuds/Olsies
Summary: Eddie has a bad night.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	Weep Little Lion Man

Eddie stumbles into his apartment, totally exhausted. All he wants to do is fall onto the couch and sleep for 27 years, but he can’t. Richie is staying with him and he’s going to want food.

“That you, spaghetti?” Richie calls. Eddie doesn’t even have enough energy to be annoyed at the stupid nickname.

“No, it’s the Zodiac killer, come to eat your guts,” Eddie calls back. Richie comes out of the bedroom and pulls Eddie into a hug.

“The Zodiac killer wasn’t a cannibal. You’re thinking of Hannibal Lecter,” Richie says. Eddie bites at Richie’s pec, and Richie winces, laughing. “How was your day, my love?”

“Ughhhhhhh!” Eddie groans. Richie kisses his hair.

“That good, huh?”

“I can’t wait for the divorce to be over,” Eddie says. “I want to live in LA and be with you all the time already.” They are in New York in a small ass apartment that Eddie is renting month to month. Richie is there for a few weeks having just gotten off tour.

“Soon, babes, soon.”

“Myra is such a bitch,” Eddie mumbles.

“I know, love, I know.”

“I just hate how she’s insisting on dragging this out,” Eddie mumbles. At first he’d offered to give her whatever she wanted, ready to move on. Myra had gotten mad, saying he would tell all their friends she’d taken advantage of him. Eddie offered to give her what she came with, and a small alimony check, but it wasn’t enough. Splitting everything was too much. It felt like nothing would be good enough, and Eddie is about 3 seconds away from dropping everything and just running.

“The meeting went that well?” Richie asks.

“Sorry, Rich, I’m just tired. Let me go take a shower and we can go grocery shopping.” He kisses Richie’s cheek and starts to pull away.

“Why don’t you just take your time in the shower? I can go,” Richie offers and Eddie bristles.

“No. I’ll be quick.”

“Eds, you had a long day. I don’t mind,” Richie says softly.

“I said, ‘no.’” Eddie snaps. “I’ll be quick.”

“Are you sure? Cause I don’t mind. Really.”

“Beep beep, mother fucker. I’m perfectly capable of doing my own grocery shopping!” Eddie yells. “I’m not some pathetic baby! I am a grown ass adult. I know I’m a fucking mess right now, but it’s not like I can’t fucking grocery shop!” Eddie doesn’t even know what he’s saying. He doesn’t know why he’s so angry.

“Whoa, Eds!” Richie takes a step back holding his hands up in the air.

“My name is Eddie! What the fuck dude! You know how much I hate it when you call me _Eds_. It’s such a child’s name, and _I am not a child_!” He’s nearly screaming now. “And let’s say I do let you go grocery shopping? Do you even fucking know what brands I like? What foods I can eat? Do you know what I’m allergic to? Do you?”

Richie doesn’t say anything, just lets Eddie rant.

“Are you going to say something, Richie? I asked you a question. You never fucking shut up, and now I ask you a question and you can’t fucking say anything?”

Richie licks his lips. He’s about to say something, but Eddie doesn’t want to hear it so he just pushes past the taller man.

“You don’t have to coddle me, Richie! I’m capable of doing my own errands!” Eddie leaves Richie by the door and goes to take a shower. His hands shake as he undresses. He gets frustrated with the buttons on his shirt, and one of them pops off. When he’s naked, he leaves his clothes in a pile on the floor and jumps in the shower.

He takes his time, washing his hair and body vigorously, his mind racing. What the _fuck_ is wrong with him? Richie was just trying to be nice because he loves Eddie and knows how _completely_ overwhelmed Eddie is. Eddie know Richie is nothing like Myra or his mother, but Eddie can do his own fucking grocery shopping.

When he gets out, he’s still angry, but he feels mostly in control until he sees Richie on the couch watching TV. He’s still wearing his sweats and a sleep shirt.

“Are we going grocery shopping or what?” Eddie snaps and Richie jumps.

“What the _fuck_ Eddie!” Richie says. “I thought you wanted to go alone.”

“I didn’t say that,” Eddie says. “When did I say that? What could have _possibly_ lead you to the conclusion that I wanted to go alone?”

“Um, maybe because you keep yelling at me when I’m just trying to be nice?” Richie says.

“Fuck you!” Eddie yells. “I don’t need you to be nice to me. I’m perfectly fine!”

“Clearly,” Richie says. Eddie rubs his face.

“Just fucking get dressed.”

“If you yell at me in public, we will end up in the tabloids.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Doesn’t that just give you fodder for your failing comedy career?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Eddie’s whole body flushes. He feels like garbage. He and Richie tease a lot, but this doesn’t feel like teasing, and he hates himself for it.

“Eddie, stop,” Richie says softly. “Just talk to me.”

“I _am_ talking to you.”

“No, you’re screaming at me,” Richie says.

“I’m fine, Richie! I just need you to get dressed! I’m tired and hungry.”

“Why don’t we just order something?” Richie asks.

“Because, Richie! I _like_ cooking! And I want to cook you a fucking nice meal. But I need to go to the fucking store.”

“So go!” Richie says. “I’m not stopping you!”

“Fine!” Eddie goes to the door and starts to put on his shoes, but his hands won’t stop shaking. Tears fill his eyes and he slumps into the door.

“Eddie!” Richie says. He gets up and kneels next to Eddie, hesitating.

“Richie-” Eddie gropes for Richie’s shirt and pulls him close. “Oh, God, Richie. I’m so fucking sorry.” Richie pulls Eddie close, stroking his back.

“It’s ok, Eddie, you’re ok,” Richie whispers. Eddie just cries. He cries and he cries and he cries and he cries.

He cries until he feels empty and then he just lays limply in Richie’s arms while Richie kisses his hair.

“You’re ok, my love,” Richie says. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry, Richie. I- I don’t know where all that came from.” Eddie sits up and wipes his face with his shirt.

“You’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.”

“But that doesn’t make it right to treat you like shit,” Eddie says.

“I know you didn’t mean it, Eds-dee. Eddie.”

Laughing softly, “It’s ok. You can call me Eds. I don’t mind. Not really.”

“I just didn’t want to upset you again.”

Taking a deep breath, Eddie leans against the door. “I- I think I got upset because I actually _like_ shopping. It was one of the few times I got to be alone when I was married and-” He takes another deep breath. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“It’s ok, really,” Richie says so gently, so softly. Eddie’s eyes fill up with tears again.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” Richie asks.

“Be nice. Act like I deserve it.”

“But you _do_ deserve it,” Richie says. He scoots a little closer to Eddie but doesn’t touch him.

“I don’t.”

“You do. I love you, and you deserve to be treated nicely.”

“Even when I’m a little asshole?”

“ _Especially_ when you’re a little asshole,” Richie says, and Eddie leans into his shoulder. They fall silent. Eddie is still hungry, but now he’s more tired than anything, and he’s wondering if Richie will still order them food.

“How do you do it?” Eddie asks eventually.

“Do what?”

“Love me. You love me like I deserve you,” Eddie says. His throat is tight with emotions, he can barely get the words out.

Richie tugs Eddie into his lap and grabs Eddie’s face in his hands. For the first time that night he looks angry. Really angry.

“Edward Kaspbrak,” Richie growls, and Eddie’s eyes go wide. “You do deserve me. You are such an amazing person, and I love you so fucking much. I- What-” He stops and closes his eyes. He’s trying to get himself under control. “Your _mother_ and your _wife_ -” He stops again, biting back tears.

“Richie-”

Opening his eyes, Richie says, “You deserve everything you could ever want in the world, Eddie. Everything. You are so amazing, and sweet, and loving, and funny, and real. Yeah, sometimes you’re an asshole, but that’s ok. We all have our moments. If you need to let off some steam, that’s ok. You’re allowed to be angry and hurt.” He pauses. “There’s still so much that we don’t know about each other, and it’s hard to know what’s going to set one of us off. Today I set you off. Tomorrow you’ll probably set me off. So long as we talk about it, it’s going to be ok.”

He pulls Eddie close, and kisses him so, so gently. He kisses him like Eddie’s worth Richie’s whole attention, like there’s nothing he’d rather be doing, even when Eddie has spent the better part of the last hour screaming at him about nothing. It’s too much for Eddie, and when they break apart, he’s crying again, but so is Richie.

Neither of them say anything for several minutes. They just sit on the floor in front of Eddie’s door, foreheads pressed together as they hold each other and cry.

Eddie can’t believe this is happening. If this had happened with Myra, he would have left for the store and when he got home, they would have fought some more. Eddie might have cried, but he would have done it alone, in the bathroom or on the couch after Myra had gone to bed. When it got late enough, he would have curled up in bed next to Myra and try to make himself as small as possible, wanting to make sure Myra couldn’t touch him without making an effort.

But with Richie. Richie is right there. He’s holding Eddie, talking him through it, telling him it’s ok. And Eddie believes him. He really does. He knows everything’s going to be ok. It is just a bad night, but Richie still wants him close. Not like Myra would have, not in a way that he wants to control Eddie’s emotions. Richie wants Eddie close so he can help Eddie through whatever lies his brain is telling him, to make sure he knows he’s loved and supported.

After a bit, Eddie kisses Richie again, and they get up slowly. Richie orders them take out, and they spend the evening curled up on the couch, just holding hands and watching something stupid on TV. When they go to bed, Eddie curls up into Richie’s arms, and falls asleep on Richie’s chest. They sleep the whole night through.

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a drabble but... i HAVE NO REGRETS! lol
> 
> the prompt was: "you love me like i deserve you"
> 
> if you wanna prompt me stuff, come visit me on [tumblr](https://nblesbianbenhanscom.tumblr.com/)


End file.
